Exhaust gas housing for an exhaust gas system of an internal combustion engine

ABSTRACT

An exhaust gas housing for an exhaust gas system of an internal combustion engine, including a rail system which is provided for receiving at least one rectangular canning and which forms an insert which has a direction of insertion which is transverse to the direction flow, and which is also provided to positively fix at least one canning on a plane perpendicular to the direction of insertion.

The invention relates to an exhaust gas housing for an exhaust gas system of an internal combustion engine, in particular for an exhaust gas system of an internal combustion engine for a vehicle.

Exhaust gas housings for exhaust gas systems of internal combustion engines are already known.

The object on which the invention is based is in particular to provide an exhaust gas housing for an exhaust gas system of a vehicle by means of which an available installation space can be advantageously used. It is achieved by an embodiment according to the invention as per claim 1. Developments of the invention will become apparent from the dependent claims.

According to the invention, there is proposed an exhaust gas housing for an exhaust gas system of an internal combustion engine, comprising a rail system which is provided for receiving at least one canning and which forms an insert which has an insertion direction oriented transversely to the throughflow direction and which is provided to positively fix the at least one canning in a plane perpendicular to the insertion direction. As a result, the at least one canning can be secured against mechanical loads, with the result that an assembly in environments with high mechanical loads or accelerations, such as, for example, in vehicles, is made possible. Positive fixing makes it possible to ensure in particular that the at least one canning is securely fixed in any desired direction even under loads of more than 2 g and in particular under test conditions with loads of 4-5 g, resulting in a wide range of uses in different vehicles, such as, in particular, in road vehicles, rail vehicles or watercraft. Here, in particular with a rectangular design of the at least one canning, an available installation space can be advantageously utilized, in particular if a plurality of cannings are arranged directly adjacent to one another. An embodiment according to the invention thus makes it possible to provide an exhaust gas housing for a vehicle by means of which, in particular with the use of rectangular cannings, an available installation space can be advantageously used. In principle, however, the rail system can also be provided for receiving round or oval cannings. The term “canning” is to be understood here as meaning in particular an insert which is provided for an exhaust gas aftertreatment and which is provided to be changed during a maintenance operation, such as, for example, a filter insert or a catalyst insert. The term “exhaust gas housing” is to be understood as meaning in particular a housing for routing an exhaust gas flow of an internal combustion engine. The term “throughflow direction” is intended to be provided in particular as an average flow direction of the exhaust gas flow when flowing through the at least one canning. The term “positively fix” is to be understood as meaning in this connection in particular that the at least one canning is positively fixed in all directions which are oriented perpendicular to the insertion direction, with a play being preferably virtually zero at least in one of these directions. The term “provided” is to be understood as meaning in particular specially designed and/or equipped.

In an advantageous embodiment, the rail system has at least one rail which is provided for securing the at least one canning in at least two spatial directions oriented perpendicular to one another. Consequently, the rail system can be designed in a particularly simple manner in terms of construction. The term “securing in at least two spatial directions oriented perpendicular to one another” is to be understood as meaning that the rail is provided simultaneously to take up and positively support two forces directed in different spatial directions.

Since the rail has an outer side which is provided for fixing the at least one canning in the region of an edge, the at least one canning can be positively fixed in a simple manner via its edges, with the result that particularly simple securing of the canning is possible. Alternatively, however, it is also conceivable to provide the rail only for securing on a side face of the canning. By contrast with such an embodiment, it is possible by fixing on the edge to obtain positive securing by means of a small number of rails. Moreover, a front side and/or rear side of the at least one canning can be supported favorably in terms of flow. The term “in the region of an edge” is to be understood here as meaning in particular that, in the mounted state, the rail engages around the edge of the canning.

In an advantageous embodiment, the at least one rail has on the outer side a fold which is intended to positively fix the at least one canning along the edge. As a result, the positive support along the edge can be achieved in a particularly simple manner since, through such an embodiment, the rail can be simply designed as a formed component. The rail is preferably bent over by 90 degrees on the outer side, with it being possible in principle to form a positive support also by a fold which has an angle of less than 90 degrees or greater than 90 degrees. It is particularly advantageous here if the fold encloses an angle of greater than 70 degrees, particularly advantageously greater than 80 degrees and/or less than 100 degrees.

Moreover, it is proposed that the at least one rail has an inner side which is formed as a sliding seat and which is provided to secure the at least one canning in only one of the spatial directions. Consequently, it is possible to simply compensate for relative movements between the rail and canning, in particular on account of thermal expansions of the rails, with the result that mechanical damage particularly caused by thermal loading can be avoided. The term “outer side” of the rail is to be understood here as meaning in particular an end of the rail which is arranged in the region of the edge of the at least one canning. The term “inner side” of the rail is to be understood here as meaning in particular an end of the rail that is arranged in the region of a side face of the rail. The rail preferably has along the throughflow direction a longitudinal extent which is at most half as much as a longitudinal extent of the canning, with the result that two rails can be arranged on a side face of the canning.

Furthermore, it is proposed that the at least one rail has at least one longitudinal strut. As a result, the mechanical stability of the rail can be increased. The term “longitudinal strut” is to be understood here as meaning in particular a formation which extends along the insertion direction and which is provided to increase the stiffness of the rail, such as, for example, an additional fold on the inner side of the rail.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the rail system has at least one further rail which is arranged parallel to the first rail. Consequently, the at least one canning can be simply supported in the different directions.

In order to secure the at least one canning, each of the rails is particularly advantageously provided along at least one edge of the at least one canning. As a result, a structurally simple design which allows good flow through the at least one canning can be found.

Particularly if the rail system additionally has two further rails and each of the four rails is provided to secure the at least one canning along exactly one edge, the at least one canning can be readily fixed in a plane perpendicular to the insertion direction. The term “four rails” is to be understood here as meaning in particular four rails which are configured separately from one another and which are fixedly connected to one another by the exhaust gas housing. The four rails preferably each have an identical cross section and differ only in their orientation, with the result that high component uniformity and thus low production costs can be achieved. The rails preferably have perpendicular to the insertion direction a cross section which allows production as a formed component and/or extruded component.

In addition, it is proposed that the exhaust gas housing has at least one cover which is provided to positively fix the at least one canning along the insertion direction. Consequently, the at least one canning can be additionally fixed along the insertion direction, with the result that it is positively secured three-dimensionally. When using a plurality of cannings, they are preferably supported against one another, with only the outer cannings being secured by the covers.

In addition, there are proposed a canning for an exhaust gas system of a vehicle, which is provided for insertion into an exhaust gas housing as claimed in one of the preceding claims, comprising a substrate, a rectangular frame for fixing the substrate, and at least one sealing collar, which is connected to the frame and which is provided for sealing with respect to the exhaust gas housing, and also an exhaust gas aftertreatment device, in particular for an exhaust gas system of a vehicle, comprising at least one exhaust gas housing according to the invention and a rectangular canning inserted into the exhaust gas housing.

Further advantages will become apparent from the description of the figures which follows. An exemplary embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the figures. The figures, the description of the figures and the claims contain numerous features in combination. A person skilled in the art will expediently also view the features individually and put them together to form meaningful further combinations.

In the figures:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective illustration of an exhaust gas housing, opened along a section plane, of an exhaust gas system,

FIG. 2 shows a canning of the exhaust gas system in a perspective illustration,

FIG. 3 shows a rail of a rail system for fixing a plurality of cannings, and

FIG. 4 shows a cross section through a frame of the canning.

FIGS. 1 to 4 show part of an exhaust gas system for an internal combustion engine. The exhaust gas system illustrated is particularly provided for watercraft but can in principle also be provided in the same form for road vehicles or rail vehicles. Moreover, the exhaust gas system is provided for stationarily operated internal combustion engines which are exposed, for example during transport, to high mechanical loads, such as, for example, for internal combustion engines of transportable generators. The exhaust gas system is provided to reduce pollutants in an exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine of the vehicle and then to discharge the exhaust gas into the environment.

To reduce the exhaust gases, the exhaust gas system comprises one or more exhaust gas aftertreatment modules which can have different functions to reduce the exhaust gases. Particularly when designed as a filter or as a catalyst, the exhaust gas aftertreatment modules each comprise an exhaust gas housing and one or more cannings 2, 3, 4, 5 which are inserted into the exhaust gas housing. The exhaust gas housing of the exhaust gas aftertreatment module illustrated in FIG. 1 has a metal base housing 25 through which the hot exhaust gases of the internal combustion engine are routed. A functionality of the exhaust gas aftertreatment module particularly depends here on a design of the cannings 2, 3, 4, 5, whereby different use purposes emerge for the exhaust gas housing.

The exhaust gas housing has a rail system 1 which is provided for receiving the cannings 2, 3, 4, 5. The rail system 1 forms an insert which has an insertion direction 7 oriented transversely to a throughflow direction 6. The cannings 2, 3, 4, 5 each have a cuboidal basic shape with a rectangular front side 26 and a rectangular rear side 27. The front side 26 and the rear side 27 of the corresponding canning 2, 3, 4, 5 are each arranged perpendicular to the throughflow direction 6. All the cannings 2, 3, 4, 5 are preferably formed identically, that is to say that a description of the canning 2 described in more detail below can be analogously applied to the remaining cannings 3, 4, 5.

The canning 2 has a substrate 21 and a frame 22 for fixing the substrate 21. The substrate 21 here can have different configurations, such as, for example, as a filter substrate or as a catalyst substrate. The substrate 21 is typically configured as a ceramic honeycomb body and forms slender ducts through which the exhaust gas flows during operation. The frame 22 which serves as a carrier for the substrate 21 predetermines the basic shape of the canning 2. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, the frame 22 is constructed in two parts. The frame 22 has a front part 28 which encloses the substrate 21 on the front side 26 of the canning 2, and a rear part 29 which encloses the substrate 21 on the rear side 27 of the canning 2.

The insertion direction 7 of the insert formed by the rail system 1 is provided to receive the frame 22 of the canning 2. Within the insert, the canning 2 is movable only along the insertion direction 7. In a plane perpendicular to the insertion direction 7, the insert positively fixes the canning 2. Consequently, the insert formed by the rail system 1 fixes the canning 2 both in a spatial direction which is oriented parallel to the throughflow direction 6 and in a spatial direction which is oriented perpendicular to the insertion direction 7 and the throughflow direction 6. In conjunction with positive fixing along the insertion direction 7, the rail system 1 is provided to positively fix the at least one canning 2 in all spatial directions. Fixing of the remaining cannings 3, 4, 5 by the rail system 1 occurs analogously.

The rail system 1 has four rails 8, 9, 10, 11 which are each provided for securing the canning 2 in the two spatial directions oriented perpendicular to one another. Each of the rails 8, 9, 10, 11 is provided to secure the canning 2 in the two spatial directions parallel to the throughflow direction 6 and in the spatial direction perpendicular to the throughflow direction 6 and the insertion direction 7. Here, each of the cannings 2, 3, 4, 5 is positively secured by the rails 8, 9, 10, 11 in the two spatial directions. The cannings 2, 3, 4, 5 are positively supported on the respectively adjacent cannings 2, 3, 4, 5 along the insertion direction 7.

The canning 2, like the further cannings 3, 4, 5, has four edges 13, 14, 15, 16 which are oriented along the insertion direction 7 and on which the rails 8, 9, 10, 11 act. The two edges 13, 14 of the canning 2, which delimit the front side 26 of the canning 2, are formed by the front part 28 of the frame 22. The two edges 15, 16, which delimit the rear side 27 of the canning 2, are formed by the rear part 29 of the frame 22. Each of the rails 8, 9, 10, 11 is assigned to one of the edges 13, 14, 15, 16 of the canning 2. Two of the rails 8, 9, 10, 11 fix the canning 2 on the front side 26. Two of the rails 8, 9, 10, 11 fix the canning 2 on the rear side 27.

The rails 8, 9, 10, 11 are configured as sheet metal rails which have a thickness preferably of at most a few millimeters. The rails 8, 9, 10, 11 are configured as bent sheet metal components, but can alternatively also be formed as extruded profiles or a welded construction. A main direction of extent of all the rails 8, 9, 10, 11, that is to say a direction along which the rails 8, 9, 10, 11 have their maximum dimension, is oriented along the throughflow direction 6. Along the throughflow direction 6, the rails 8, 9, 10, 11 each have an outer side 12 which lies in the region of one of the edges 13, 14, 15, 16 of the canning 2, and an inner side 18 which lies in a region between two of the edges 13, 14, 15, 16 of the canning 2.

Parallel to the throughflow direction 6, the rails 8, 9, 10, 11 have a longitudinal extent which, in the exemplary embodiment illustrated, corresponds to at least 20 percent of a longitudinal extent of the canning 2, 3, 4, 5. In particular, the longitudinal extent of the rails 8, 9, 10, 11 parallel to the throughflow direction 6 is at most 50 percent of the longitudinal extent of the canning 2. The rails 8, 9, 10, 11 which are each assigned to one of the edges 13, 14, 15, 16 are thus arranged at a spacing from one another along the throughflow direction 6.

The rails 8, 9, 10, 11 each have an identical cross section. The rails 8, 9, 10, 11 differ only in their orientation with respect to the throughflow direction 6 and/or the insertion direction 7. The outer side 12 of the rail 8 (the remaining rails 9, 10, 11 are formed analogously) is provided for fixing the canning 2 at the edge 13. For this purpose, the rail 8 has on the outer side 12 a fold 17 which is provided to positively fix the canning 2 along the edge 13. The fold 17 of the rail 8 forms an inwardly curved corner in which the outwardly oriented edge 13 of the canning 2 engages. The rails 8, 9, 10, 11 of the rail system 1 define through their arrangement a rectangle whose size corresponds to a size of the canning 2.

The cannings 2, 3, 4, 5 are fixed in particular by the outer sides 12 of the rails 8, 9, 10, 11. On the inner side 18, the rail 8 bears flat against a side face 30 of the canning 2 which is oriented parallel to the throughflow direction 6. The inner side 18 of the rail 8 thus forms a sliding seat which secures the cannings 2, 3, 4, 5 only in the spatial direction which lies perpendicular to the throughflow direction 6 and the insertion direction 7. On the inner sides 18 of the rails 8, 9, 10, 11 which engage around the cannings 2, 3, 4, 5 on the outside, a relative movement between the canning 2 and the corresponding rail 8, 9, 10, 11 along the throughflow direction 6 is possible in order to be able to compensate for changes of length of the rails 8, 9, 10, 11 and/or an expansion of the canning 2 in this direction.

On the outer side 12, the rail 8 is folded over inward by 90 degrees to form the fold 17 which is provided for fixing the canning 2. In addition, the rail 8 is bent over by 180 degrees on the outer side 12 in the opposite direction. As a result of bending over by 180 degrees, the rail 8 has on the outer side 12 a longitudinal strut 19 which is oriented parallel to the insertion direction 7. On the inner side 18, the rail 8 is bent over outward by 90 degrees. Consequently, the rail 8 also has on the inner side 18 a longitudinal strut 20 which is oriented parallel to the insertion direction 7. As a result of the two longitudinal struts 19, 20, the rail 8 has a U-shaped basic shape which on the outer side 12 additionally has the fold 17 for positively fixing the canning 2 along the throughflow direction 6. The remaining rails 9, 10, 11 are formed analogously.

To fix the cannings 2, 3, 4, 5 along the insertion direction 7, the exhaust gas housing has two covers 31, 32 which are placed on the rail system 1. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, the covers 31, 32 are provided to be screwed to the rail system 1. In principle, however, other types of fastening for the covers 31, 32 are also conceivable.

The covers 31, 32 fix the cannings 2, 3, 4, 5 along the insertion direction 7. To exchange the cannings 2, 3, 4, 5, at least one of the covers 31, 32 is demounted and the cannings 2, 3, 4, 5 can be withdrawn or pushed out of the exhaust gas housing through the rail system 1.

In the mounted state, the outer cannings 2, 5 are supported on the covers 31, 32. Since the cannings 2, 3, 4, 5 are arranged directly adjacently along the insertion direction 7, the central cannings 3, 4 are fixed by the outer cannings 2, 5.

To provide sealing with respect to the exhaust gas housing, the canning 2, like the further cannings 3, 4, 5, has two sealing collars 23, 24 which are connected to the frame 22 of the canning 2. The sealing collars 23, 24 are made of a deformable material and provided to be pressed between the frame 22 of the canning 2 and one of the rails 8, 9, 10, 11 of the rail system 1. The sealing collars 23, 24 are each arranged on the front part 28 and the rear part 29 of the frame 22. The sealing collar 23 is plugged onto the front part 28 of the frame 22. The sealing collar 24 is plugged onto the rear part 29 of the frame 22. The sealing collars 23, 24 each engage in a U-shaped manner around the frame 22 and, in the mounted state, seal the positive connection between the frame 22 and the rail system 1. 

1-12. (canceled)
 13. An exhaust gas housing for an exhaust gas system of an internal combustion engine, comprising: at least one canning; and a rail system provided for receiving the at least one canning and forming an insert that has an insertion direction oriented transversely to a throughflow direction, the rail system being configured to positively fix the at least one canning in a plane perpendicular to the insertion direction.
 14. The exhaust gas housing according to claim 13, wherein the rail system includes at least one rail provided for securing the at least one canning in at least two spatial directions oriented perpendicular to one another.
 15. The exhaust gas housing according to claim 14, wherein the at least one rail has an outer side configured to fix the at least one canning in a region of an edge.
 16. The exhaust gas housing according to claim 15, wherein the at least one rail has on the outer side a fold that positively fixes the at least one canning along the edge.
 17. The exhaust gas housing according to claim 14, wherein the at least one rail has an inner side formed as a sliding seat provided to secure the at least one canning in only one spatial direction.
 18. The exhaust gas housing according to claim 14, wherein the at least one rail has at least one longitudinal strut.
 19. The exhaust gas housing according to claim 14, wherein the rail system includes at least one further rail arranged parallel to the at least one rail.
 20. The exhaust gas housing according to claim 19, wherein each of the rails is provided to secure the at least one canning along at least one edge of the at least one canning.
 21. The exhaust gas housing according to claim 20, wherein the rail system includes two further rails and each of the rails is provided for securing the at least one canning along exactly one edge.
 22. The exhaust gas housing according to claim 13, further comprising at least one cover configured to positively fix the at least one canning along the insertion direction.
 23. A canning for an exhaust gas system of an internal combustion engine, which canning is for insertion into an exhaust gas housing according to claim 13, the canning comprising: a substrate; a rectangular frame for fixing the substrate; and at least one sealing collar connected to the frame and provided for sealing with respect to the exhaust gas housing.
 24. An exhaust gas aftertreatment device for an exhaust gas system of an internal combustion engine, comprising an exhaust gas housing according to claim 13; and a canning comprising a substrate, a rectangular frame for fixing the substrate, and at least one sealing collar connected to the frame and provided for sealing with respect to the exhaust gas housing. 